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(Salina, KS 05-17) Come along on the River Festival Road Trip to experience the best of summer sights and sounds! Among the new or notable elements for Festival 2017 are:

*A lively Festival T-shirt designed by Lawrence artist Angie Pickman. Featuring a circular mandala filled with Festival icons including miniature guitars, sunflowers, artist tools, windmills and more, the T-shirt design is bordered by a circle of wheat stems. Printed on a bright, heather-blue T-shirt or tank, the shirts retail for $10 to $12 and currently are available at the SA&H offices at 211 W. Iron Avenue.

*Fifty first-time or “new back” artists will exhibit at the Fine Art and Four Rivers Craft Show and in the Art/Craft Demonstration area, in various media. The 136 Festival artists hail from more than 30 states. The first-ever “PREMIERE” art patron/artist party on Thursday evening will bring art lovers of all ages face-to-face with Festival artists for meaningful discussion in a relaxed environment.

*Ten first-time entertainers will grace Festival stages along with some returning favorites. Headliners include Jakubi from Australia, back by popular demand from 2015, The Delta Saints from Nashville and Salina’s own Brady Weston Band. Genres of music represented include blues, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, country, bluegrass, salsa and more.

Roving and kids acts include favorites The Drum Safari, Stories on Tour w. Queen Nur, and Richard Renner The Vodville Klown, plus the brand-new Hip-Hop Wagon and the Hybrid Movement Co. from Brooklyn, NY. New to the Bravo Stage this year is The BRAVO Day Party! with cashhollistah. on Saturday.

*Two new Art/Craft demonstration artists will show and sell: Phyll Klima of Salina with pottery and Jane Smith of Bailey, Colorado with recycled plastic-fiber art.

*Eight brand-newArt Installations commissioned specifically for the Festival are among the nearly 20 AI’s on site. The new works include “Get Your Art On” by The Henna Chicks of Glenpool, OK; “Earth Protectors: Totemic Perennials” by returning artist Neil Goss of Lawrence, KS and “Dance of the Dragonfly” by Salina artist Cory Haden.

*Guest services available at the River Festival include an EMS First Aid Center, a complimentary mobile-device charging station, an ATM, the Baby Station, Ident-A-Kid and Lost & Found. See the printed Festival Program or riverfestival.com/pdfs/festivalmap.pdf for guest-service locations and other details.

Helpful final reminders about what to bring or not to bring to the River Festival and Oakdale Park can be found at riverfestival.com/visitorinfo/admission, in the printed Festival Program, or will be publicized on Monday, June 5.

Also, the first clue for the 2017 Festival Medallion Quest will be read live at the Eric Stein Stage during the noon hour at the Festival Friday in the Park pre-party from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, May 26. Live music, a food truck and free Pepsi will be on site. Find Medallion Quest details and rules at riverfestival.com/festivalquest.cfm.

For needed accommodations, please call Amanda Morris at Salina Arts & Humanities at 785-309-5770 between 8:00 a.m. - Noon and 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.Every effort will be made to accommodate known disabilities.For material or speech access, please call at least five working days prior to the event.

The Smoky Hill River Festival is the flagship event of Salina Arts & Humanities. A department of the City of Salina, SA&H has served a unique role in arts advocacy and support since 1966.The Smoky Hill River Festival, Horizons Grants Program, Smoky Hill Museum, Arts Infusion Program in schools, Community Art & Design, Cultural Connections, and Friday Night Live performance series are among the programs of Salina Arts & Humanities, located at 211 W. Iron Avenue in Salina.